Lisa Foster is a retired California Superior Court judge who co-founded the Fines and Fees Justice Center in 2018 after directing the U.S. Department of Justice's Office for Access to Justice. She advises courts and policymakers nationally on reforming fines, fees and other monetary sanctions in the justice system.
Case
Connecticut charges incarcerated people up to $347 a day and can collect the debt for 20 years after release, including from settlements and inheritances. A 2026 investigation found the state collected about $21 million this way since 2020.
Role at the time: Co-founder, Fines and Fees Justice Center; former California Superior Court judge
Statement summary
Foster, a co-founder of the Fines and Fees Justice Center and a former California judge, said laws like Connecticut's function as an extra financial punishment on people who have already served their sentence.
“It's not the way we should be running the criminal justice system. It's a regressive tax”
Foster rejects the law as an improper way to run the criminal justice system and frames it as an unfair extra tax on formerly incarcerated people.
Statement dates: September 27, 2026
